System buying advice

I need some advice on building a new system. I currently run an old P2 450, 192 RAM, etc. Nothing exciting. I have a very small budget, but know I can build a good system with it. I just want the best it can be for the money. The good news is that I have a fairly recent HD, and cd-rom, and CD-R, and optical mouse, and nice keyboard. So what I really need is:
Mobo
CPU
memory
video
case
PSU

I could easily piece together a decent Nforce based system for under about $200 (which is my general price range) but there may be better stuff out there.

The video card is one that I could wait on for a little while if needed. I currently have a TNT2 32mb card, which is crap, but it gets me a little couterstrike and Dod, so I'm happy for now. What would you guys suggest for my budget? I am probably going AMD, maybe start with a DURON and later go XP2400 in a year or 2. I'd like the mobo not to be maxed out with the current chip. Also, is it worth it to get DDR RAM? It's so much more than PC133 (which is what I have in my current setup) I guess my question is: in a similar system, what's better, 256mb of DDR or a gig of PC133? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

For most applications, the 256 of DDR would be better. The extra bandwidth makes a difference, while you won't need 1 gig of ram under most circumstances. Which brings up another issue, what OS do you plan on running? Win 9x will not use more than 256mb of ram effectively.

For mobo choices, I've seen many people recommend Shuttle for a good bang for the buck. I'm very happy with my Asus A7V333, but it would be a bit too much for you budget, if you want to keep it under 200.

Going with a duron for now and upgrading later sounds good, although those $50 XP 1600s are pretty nice.

You could probably pick up a ghetto case and a 300W PSU for less than $50. There was actually a post around here (can't seem to find it now) that had a list of cheap case from newegg.

And Welcome to the Forums!!

first off it sounds like you're mildly into gaming... CS and DOD will run on just about anything (runs fine on your setup i bet) here is what i came up with to try and get it AROUND 200 dollars for you, all from newegg:

Case and Powersupply:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-182-006&depa=1

Mobo with Onboard (gf2 equivilent) video:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=13-131-417&depa=1

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=20-145-001&depa=1

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=19-104-156&depa=1

its going to be around $225-$230.. not a bad setup, with room for expansion later on, because that asus board has AGP as well as the onboard video. it also has very decent sound, better than most boards onboard sound. and integrated LAN.. you didnt say wether you were on broadband or not, but its very capable. i've used many of these boards in systems and have yet to be dissapointed. good luck on your upgrades!

just where the heck are my manners today...

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!

Thanks. I HAVE a case right now, but I don't like it or think it will work. It's got a crappy PCChips M726 mobo in it, which from what I can tell is not true ATX, but something smaller. And my PSU is only 230 watts. So I would definately need those. I've seen them around for cheap though, so it doesn't matter.

As for OS, I have win 98SE, but have easy access to XP (my brother runs it on his dual processor system) so either way. What's better for games? I have looked into a shuttle, AK32L. It's only $58 or so. Would that be better than getting an Nforce? Nforce is like $20 more, but has decent graphics for now, and I could always upgrade later.

Thanks for the reply, keep them coming.

So far my ideas:
Shuttle AK32L with AMD XP1600 $108
Some case with at least 300 watt PSU $40
256 MB DDR RAM $50

Total= $200
I would still have crappy TNT2 video for a while.

OR

do the same setup with an NFORCE mobo, with a 950 mhz Tbird, for about $12 more. Now I have a slower processor for now, but decent video

Which is a better start?

While I was typing, you came up with pretty much the same exact setup as I did, except yours had a 1.3 Duron instead of the Tbird. Thanks!

btw- yes, I run DSL over USB, would ethernet be quicker at all? I have an external DSL "gateway" (from directvinternet) that can do either.
Yes I am into gaming, I like DOD and CS which run fine now, but I'm also looking foreward to UT2k3 and some others that will need hefty setup to run decent.

I think I just found my setup though, thanks!

Look at the Albatron KX400+ great bang for the buck board!

isn't the albatron pretty similar to the Nforce, minus the built in Geforce2, for a little more money? It could be a better board, don't take this the wrong way, I'm just not seeing it.

Thanks though.

A friend of mine is getting a Shuttle in a few days. I'll ask him how it is once he's gotten it set up and running, and tell you what he thinks of it.

Most boards can't come near the price, but performance and reliablity is important too, no?

Everyone seems to be forgetting that he'll need a nice heatsink...
(and a tube of ASIII)

Here's the list I worked up for you. This motherboard supports PC2700 DDR (unlike the A7N266-VM) OR if you need to save money you can use your current RAM (assuming it's PC100 and NOT PC66).

Newegg WishList Total before shipping = $230

6-gram tube of ASIII Thermal compound = $11
Thermal Integration's Dr. Thermal TI-V77L HSF = $18
Samsung Original DDR333 PC-2700 256MB CAS2.5 = $75
ECS K7S5A SiS® 735 SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD = $54
Duron 1.2GHz = $39

All in this case (including 300w PSU) = $33


Once you've upgraded you Processor, Motherboard, and RAM your TNT2 won't seem as slow as it used to.

That looks good. I think I'd rather stick with 512mb of PC133 for like $26. then I'd save $50 to put towards a new video card, or maybe a better looking case/higher power PSU. If my TNT2 does ok, then fine, but do you think it can handle Medal of Honor, Max Paine, the new Unreal, or BF1942? I'm not sure. Anyways, it's been very helpful, keep them coming if you have any other ideas. I wish I could overclock this old PII, but my crappy PCChips mobo sucks, and doesn't let me. I tried jumping from 100mhz bus speed to 112, and it booted as a 550mhz PII instead of 450, but windows won't start up right...

Oh well.

I'm thinking of maybe picking up one thing at a time, at least for now. I can buy a stick of RAM now (my current setup only takes up to 256 sticks, I could always just buy 2 of those... I run PC100 right now, does it matter if I yank those and put PC133?) And maybe the case/PSU. Then in a month or 2, pick up the mobo/cpu. That way it doesn't seem like a big expense all at once.

Project86 said:

That looks good. I think I'd rather stick with 512mb of PC133 for like $26. then I'd save $50 to put towards a new video card, or maybe a better looking case/higher power PSU.

Click to expand...

The motherboard in the system I configured above has slots for PC133 and PC2700 DDR. Simple add the items to your cart, remove the samsung DDR, then use whatever PC100 or PC133 RAM you have on hand or want to purchase.

PC133 is only marginally fater than PC100. Especially if you fine tune the memory settings to Turbo.

Project86 said:

If my TNT2 does ok, then fine, but do you think it can handle Medal of Honor, Max Paine, the new Unreal, or BF1942? I'm not sure

Click to expand...

It will play all of those except for BF1942 which requires a Geforce 2. But it will look much better on anything faster than a Geforce 3. Like a Radeon 8500LE or Geforce 4...

How does this sound:

NEW Socket-370 DUAL or SINGLE CPU MOTHERBOARD, Max Speed Up to 2x P.III 1130MHz = 2260MHz ! Supports the following Processors : FCPGA Pentium III : 500-1130Mhz, FSB : 100Mhz, 133Mhz (using single or dual processors). PPGA Celeron CPUs : 300-700Mhz. FSB : 66Mhz (using a single processor only). Cyrix MIII : 500-667Mhz, FSB : 100Mhz, 133Mhz (using a single processor only). Memory : Up to 1.5 GB 168-pin SDRam, 133MHz, 100MHz & 66MHz memory bus. VIA Chipset and AC97 audio codec Sound and audio ports built-in (ADC & DAC). 4xAGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) built-in. IDE PIO Mode 3 and 4 UDMA 33/66/100 IDE. Four PCI local bus slots. Full Set of ATX I/O ports. Features Summary : *Supports Pentium III (FC-PGA) Socket 370 CPUs 500MHz - 1.13GHz - 66/100/133MHz Bus *Supports Pentium III in single AND dual mode *Chipset: VIA 694X *2MB Flash ROM *Memory: - Maximum 1.5GB SDRAM PC133 - Three (3) 168-pin DIMM sockets *Bus Slots: - One (1) 4X AGP bus slot - Four (4) 32-bit PCI bus slots - One (1) AMR bus slot *Ports: - Two (2) PS/2 ports - Two (2) USB ports - Two (2) 9-pin Serial ports - One (1) parallel port - One (1) game port w/onboard sound ( Line In, Line Out, & MIC ) *Form Factor: ATX *Motherboard includes: IDE & Floppy Cables, Quick Start Guide, *Drivers, Utilities and Great Software Package (on single CD) : USER Manual + CD Drivers and Applications including PC-Cillin Anti-Virus and Super Voice plus Corel-Word Perfect office Suite 8 + IDE Cables

I can get it for $70 shipped, it's brand new. I believe the brand is Alton, I haven't heard of it. This would be an option, get a 1.1ghz PIII, then pick up another one later as well. Or should I stick with plan A?

Project86 said:

How does this sound:

NEW Socket-370 DUAL or SINGLE CPU MOTHERBOARD, Max Speed Up to 2x P.III 1130MHz = 2260MHz ! Supports the following Processors : FCPGA Pentium III : 500-1130Mhz, FSB : 100Mhz, 133Mhz (using single or dual processors). PPGA Celeron CPUs : 300-700Mhz. FSB : 66Mhz (using a single processor only). Cyrix MIII : 500-667Mhz, FSB : 100Mhz, 133Mhz (using a single processor only). Memory : Up to 1.5 GB 168-pin SDRam, 133MHz, 100MHz & 66MHz memory bus. VIA Chipset and AC97 audio codec Sound and audio ports built-in (ADC & DAC). 4xAGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) built-in. IDE PIO Mode 3 and 4 UDMA 33/66/100 IDE. Four PCI local bus slots. Full Set of ATX I/O ports. Features Summary : *Supports Pentium III (FC-PGA) Socket 370 CPUs 500MHz - 1.13GHz - 66/100/133MHz Bus *Supports Pentium III in single AND dual mode *Chipset: VIA 694X *2MB Flash ROM *Memory: - Maximum 1.5GB SDRAM PC133 - Three (3) 168-pin DIMM sockets *Bus Slots: - One (1) 4X AGP bus slot - Four (4) 32-bit PCI bus slots - One (1) AMR bus slot *Ports: - Two (2) PS/2 ports - Two (2) USB ports - Two (2) 9-pin Serial ports - One (1) parallel port - One (1) game port w/onboard sound ( Line In, Line Out, & MIC ) *Form Factor: ATX *Motherboard includes: IDE & Floppy Cables, Quick Start Guide, *Drivers, Utilities and Great Software Package (on single CD) : USER Manual + CD Drivers and Applications including PC-Cillin Anti-Virus and Super Voice plus Corel-Word Perfect office Suite 8 + IDE Cables

I can get it for $70 shipped, it's brand new. I believe the brand is Alton, I haven't heard of it. This would be an option, get a 1.1ghz PIII, then pick up another one later as well. Or should I stick with plan A?

Click to expand...

Stick with plan A
Dual Socket 370 is only possible with PIII Coppermine chips which cost a bundle and are limited to a maximum speed of 1.1ghz (as the stats clearly indicate).

Several things:

PSU - I use an Antec True Power, mines a 480, but you can get a smaller one if you don't plan on OCing it that much.

Memory - I use Corsair xms DDR, I can't stress how much of a difference there is when you switch from SD to DDR, best move I ever did, wish I had done it sooner.

Heatsink - I use a Cooler Master Heatsink with AS3 thermal compound. It is a little loud but the newer ones for 30 bucks are much quieter.

Board - I usually stick to either Abit or Asus, I use a BD7II, but there is much better out now I am sure.

Case - Aluminum and roomy if possible.

Vid Card - Mine is an old PNY GF Ti500, but it out runs some of the 4400s, when prices drop more and I make the jump the the GF 4600 I may stick to PNY. I also hear nice things about MSI cards though I have no personal experience there. Good luck with your new rig!

What do you guys think about this system

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2058456471&ssPageName=ADME:B:RECO:US:3

hope the link works... Anyways, this seems pretty decent to me, just need to buy some RAM (PC133 for now, DDR later) and a Geforce or Radion (or use my TNT2 for now)

I think if you are going for a budget system you may want to forego the duron and jump up to an xp 1600+. This gives you plenty of overclocking headroom down the road if you decide to go that way and even if you don't it performs great even at stock speeds. If anything gowith the better proc and save up for a newer vid card and use what you have now (or get a mobo with built in video). Settling for below average on every component will make the system obsolete that much faster. Last I checked 1600+ chips were in the $53 price range which is insane bang for your buck.

To answer you question about a gig pc133 vs 256mb of ddr I would take the ddr. A gig of memory doesn't buy you a whole lot (especially if you don't run xp) but you may see a bump in performance going ddr. If you can't afford it then just use the pc133 you got now and save cash for better memory later. Pretty much same idea as the video card.